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South Africa wicketkeeper-batsman AB de Villiers may have won four Cricket South Africa awards this week, but he lost out on the Test captaincy to Hashim Amla, and admitted he was ‘disappointed’ to be overlooked. |
De Villiers was for a long time considered Graeme Smith’s automatic replacement, but Amla entered the race at the last minute and was picked, leaving De Villiers as his vice-captain, starting with the tour to Sri Lanka in July.
But while he was gutted by the turn of events, De Villiers pledged his support for Amla, and said they would continue to work together as senior players, like they did when Smith was in charge.
De Villiers told Die Beeld: “I will not beat around the bush. I’m disappointed that I’m not the captain. Everyone has dreams and ambitions and hopes they will become reality but I accept the situation and will not let it come between me and Hashim.
“It would be very stupid of me if I let it affect my game and my role in the team. The choice is made. I wish Hashim all the best and will give him all of my support. As vice-captain of the team I will closely work with Hashim and believe we can make a good combination. I accept that it is not always moonshine and roses and you can’t expect things must always go your way.
“In the end, we are all working together in the best interests of South African cricket. I believe Hashim will make a success of the assignment. He is a very experienced and senior player and is a fine student of the game. We will all pull in the right direction do to make sure our cricket comes out on top again.”
Some people wondered about Amla’s appointment and apparent u-turn, given he’d quit the vice-captaincy last year. Chief selector Andrew Hudson said it was not due to a lack of leadership desire, but rather a case of sorting out his batting.
Hudson said: “It was about trying to get his batting right. Hashim is quite intentional. His intention was to get his batting right and he felt that was first port of call.
“Now that he is at that point where he is more comfortable than what he was with his batting, he feels he can contribute in other areas. Captaincy is one where he can leave a deposit that will far outlast the runs that he scores. He can influence youngsters and he is good with people.”
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